Charles Barkley went on a rant about analytics on “Inside the NBA” Tuesday night after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted about being in attendance for a game opposed to watching it on TNT.
Best part of being at a TNT game live is it is easy to avoid Charles spewing misinformed biased vitriol disguised as entertainment
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) February 11, 2015
Morey tweeted this in response to Barkley’s comments at halftime of the Rockets 127-118 win over the Phoenix Suns, where he said the Rockets have the worst defense in the NBA.
Morey is known for his use of analytics in constructing the Rockets, which is something Barkley is very against.
“Just because you’ve got good stats doesn’t mean you’re a good team defensively,” Barkley said in response. “They give up 118 points. No good team gives up 118 points. I’m not worried about Daryl Morey. He’s one of those idiots who believes in analytics.”
“He went out and got James Harden and Dwight Howard and going to tell me that’s analytics,” Barkley added. “Then he went out and got Trevor Ariza and Josh Smith. I’ve always believed that analytics was crap and you know I never mention the Rockets as a legitimate contender because they’re not. And listen, I wouldn’t know Daryl Morey if he walked in this room right now. ”
Watch Barkley’s rant:
Besides Barkley being Barkley, the best part of the whole video may be when Shaquille O’Neal starts laughing hysterically at the 1:05 mark and then said, “That was very vitriol of you to say.”
Tuesday’s show just added to the list of reasons why “Inside in the NBA” is appointment television for all basketball fans.